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9/01/2010

Again the “usual suspect”, writing on the GLG website, tries to tell us that P&W would be dumb enough to develop separate engines for the MS-21 and the A320NEO. He believes to know that the MS-21 (still – more or less – in the definition phase) needs 32klbf of thrust - and the fact that the A321 has a max. thrust of 33klbf drives him to the conclusion that P&W would have to start the design of a fourth engine to cover the A32XNEO thrust range.

Now – if you would be an engine maker: would you do that? Or would you design one engine that covers the full range up to 33klbf – especially as Airbus seems to be the far more important customer than the Russians?
Interestingly he does not see the need for CFM to come up with two different engines for the C919 and a potential B737 re-engining – just because a CFM official told him that the LEAP-X1C would fit under the wing of the B737. The C919 needs around 30klbf of thrust – the stretch version to be introduced later even more, far more than the B737 needs, so that the LEAP-X1C would be far being the optimal solution for the B737 – it seems that it would be better matched for the A32XNEO needs.
This might be an explanation why Boeing seems so skeptical about the re-engining.

But let’s wait what we hear out of Chicago after Airbus announced what they will do – I expect this to happen in late September or October…